Sheriff: Body of male boater, 26, found in Catahoula Lake

Posted: Tue 12:56 PM, Feb 12, 2019

ALEXANDRIA, La. (AP) - Authorities say a man's body has been recovered from a Louisiana lake.

The Rapides Parish Sheriff's office tells news outlets that the body of 26-year-old Ryan Reed was pulled out of Catahoula Lake on Sunday. Sheriff William Earl Hilton says his office received a report about a possible drowning Saturday after a man had fallen from a boat.

Witnesses said the boat accelerated suddenly and its operator was ejected. He was the only person on the boat, and several bystanders weren't able to find him.

The sheriff says divers discovered Reed after their search was suspended the day before. The Lafayette resident was pronounced dead at the scene and his body was taken to the parish coroner's office.

Catahoula Lake is roughly 200 miles (322 kilometers) northwest of New Orleans.

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